Worrying may Cause Dementia

Do you worry easily? Those who do now have even more reason for concern. New Swedish research shows that anxious people are more likely to suffer from dementia in old age than those who stay calm.

Earlier research has proved that worry and stress can have bad effects on brain functions. The new study, carried out by scientists at medical university Karolinska Institutet, aimed to look at the connections between mental attitude and social behaviour.

Swedish scientists monitored 506 people, age 75 and older over a period of six years, and put them through a series of personality tests. The tests were designed to measure traits like a tendency to worry, level of openness and cooperative ability. When the research period started none of the subjects had any signs of dementia. Six years later, 144 had developed the illness.

The statistical calculations showed that socially isolated individuals who generally stayed calm had 50% less risk of becoming dementia sufferers than those who worried easily. Being both extrovert and calm also further reduced the risk by another 50%.